Former Las Vegas councilwoman Michele Fiore is presently under federal charges amid allegations of misappropriating funds from a charity intended to honor fallen police officers. A federal grand jury indictment accuses Fiore of using charitable donations for personal expenses, as announced by the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday. According to authorities, Fiore utilized the funds raised for creating a statue commemorating slain Las Vegas officers on political fundraising, her personal rent, and her daughter's wedding costs.
During her tenure as a Las Vegas councilwoman, Fiore pledged to donors that "100% of the contributions" would be channeled to solely build the statue, as per a KTNV report. However, the DOJ asserts that she did not use any of the collected tens of thousands of dollars for its intended purpose. This discrepancy is now projected to potentially lead to a significant prison sentence, with the former councilwoman facing up to 20 years per count if convicted.
The charges against Fiore, who is also a current justice of the peace in Nye County, include four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. These allegations mark a notable fall from grace for Fiore, who has a history in Nevada politics, having served as a Republican member of the Nevada State Assembly, and an unsuccessful candidate for both the Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District seat and state treasurer. Her political challenges have included a failed recall effort, a Federal Election Commission complaint, and accusations of racially charged comments that led to her resignation as mayor pro tem, as reported by FOX5.
The investigation is currently spearheaded by the FBI's Las Vegas Field Office, and it is imperative to underline that an indictment is not indicative of guilt. It is merely a set of charges where the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In alignment with this process, the Department of Justice emphasizes the presumption of innocence until the court determines the contrary. To this end, Fiore's legal proceedings will continue to unfold, with the public eye closely watching the judicial actions and her response to these grave allegations.
